Fabric for lacing-tips and the like and composition for the same.



' hesive when it is to the body r [nan Swam -1am are.

' GEORGE W. PRENTICE, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

FABRIC FOR Lncmm'rrrs AND THE LIKE AND COMPOSITION FOR THE SAME.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may con cern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PRENTICE, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Fabrics for Lacing-Tips and the Like and Compositions for the Same; and I do hereby declare the following specification to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of the invention is to produce a fabric especiall adapted for use in making fabric tips or lacings, such as shoelacings and the like, in place of the metal tips heretofore employed. For such use it is desirable that the fabric shall possess certain peculiar characteristics. Thus the fabric, which should be provided with an adhesive substance for securing the tip to the lacing proper, must be comparatively stiff, in order that the finished lacing tip may possess the necessary strength and rigidity. On the other hand the fabric must be'sufficiently pliable or flexible to enable the fabric to be readily bent or wrapped around the lacing without breaking or cracking; So also, while the fabric should be provided with an adhesive substance, it is desirable that the fabric should be rendered substantially non-adhesive for purposes of handling, time be capable of being readily made adbe applied to the lacing. It is further desirable that the fabric should be comparatively water-proof and should also be of such a character that the lacing tip when finished will be smooth and even and have what may-be termeda satin-like appearance.

For the production of a fabric possessing these several characteristics the invention consists in treating a textile fabric, preferably a woven cotton fabric such as cambric or canvas, with a composition containing the following ingredients, viz., ordinary glue, fish-glue or isinglass, and lamp-black, and in the fabric or article of manufacture vso produced.

.without departing from the invention. Of

. Specification of-Letters Patent. 7

Application filed August 18, 1906. Serial No. 331,184..

but should at the same the ingredients named the glue constitutes the main adhesive substance in the composition, while the isinglass, which is likewise adhesive, serves to give to the composition and to the fabric to Whichit is applied the requisite pliability and flexibility, and also.

serves to render the fabric comparatively watersproof. If the gluealone were used without the isinglass, the composition and the fabric to which it' is applied would be too hard and brittle, and the fabric would be likely to crack or split in bending or wrapping the same upon the lacing. I The presence of the isinglass in the composition prevents such cracking or splitting of the fabric. The lamp-black serves to give color and body to the composition and constitutes a sizing for the fabric when the composition has been applied thereto which serves to render the fabric non-adhesive except upon the application of moisture.

The composition above described will be black and the fabric with the composition applied thereto will be suitable to apply to the ordinary black lacings. If the fabric is to be employed for tips for lacings of other colors, suitable coloring matter may be added to give to the composition a color like or similar to that of the lacings.

In preparing the composltion the several ingredients are put in liquid form, the glue and the isinglass being dissolved with water, and the lamp-black being mixed with alcohol, preferably with the aid of heat in each case. The ingredients are then thoroughly mixed together, heat being also preferably applied durin the mixing process to maintain the ingre ients in liquid form. As the lamp-black, by reason of the presence of the alcohol, has a tendency to riseto the top and thus to separate from the glue and isinglass, it is desirable that the composition should be applied to the fabric as promptly as possible after the ingredients have been mixed together. It has been found in practice, how- ,ever, that, even if the composition stands for Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

a suihcient length of time to enable the lampblack to separate more or less from the other ingredients, the result of the application of the composition to the fabric is substantially the same as when the composition is applied directly after the mixing of the ingredients. It is further'found that in either case-a-sufficient quantity of the lamp-black remains at or near the surface of the fabric to constitute a sizing and thereby render such surface substantially non-adhesive except upon the application of moisture.

The composition may be applied 'to the fabric in any suitable manner, such as by dipping or immersing the fabric in the liquid composition. A convenient way will be to draw the fabric through a vessel containin a suitable quantity of the composition, an preferably the vessel is provided with a guide-bar near the bottom of the vessel I around which the fabric may be passed, and

so that the fabric may be drawn first downward and then upward through the composition.

Withrespect to the proportions of the ingredients it is to be understood that the proportions above named are the proportions of the ingredients in their dry and solid condition and before they have been dissolved in water and alcohol respectively. The quantities of water and alcohol employed will be determined by the consistency of thecomposition desired, and this consistency may be varied to a considerable degree according to the judgment 0 the user.

After the composition has been applied to the fabric, the fabric is-to be dried in any suitable manner. It is preferred, when the fabric has been partially dried, to pass the treated. fabric between pressure rollers, which serves to and finished sur ace.-

It will be found that a fabric treated with a composition substantially such as above ive to the fabric a smoothdescribed possesses the peculiar qualities above referred to. vThus the fabric has a v certain amount of stiffness or rigidity, while at the same time it is sufiiciently pliable or flexible to be bent or wrapped aroundthe body of a lacing without breaking or cracking. The fabric also has a considerable body, and although provided with a considerable quantity of adhesive substance is nevertheless non-adhesive in its finished condition and may be handled freely without any sticking to the fingers. At the same time by the application of a slight amount of moisture the fabric becomes distinctly sticky and adhesive. It will be further found that this adhesive quality continues described.

only so long as the moisture remains, and that assoon as the moisture has eva orated the fabric is againg nonadhesive, a though capable of being a ain rendered adhesive by the a plication of moisture thereto. Certain ad itional results and advantages may be obtained by adding shellac to the ingredients above named in forming the composition. In such case a proper quantity of shellac to be employed in connection with the proportions of the other ingredients named will be 30 parts of shellac in its dry form. This dry shellac is to be dissolved in alcohol, preferably with the aid of heat, as in the case of the lamp-black, and the shellac in liquid form is to be thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients. The shel- .lac when employed will serve to facilitate the drying of the fabric after being treated with the composhion, and with the lam black will act as a sizing. The shellac wil also serve to increase the water-proof quality of the fabric, and also to increase the ri idity of the finished tip and the satinike appearance thereof.

Preferably the fabric is treated in large pieces as it comes from theloom, and isthen cut into strips of. a width equal to the length of lacing tip desired, the several tips of proper size being then cut from these strips.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture a textile fabric treated with a composition of glue, isinglass, and lamp-black, substantially as 2. A composition for treating textile fab rics com osed of glue, isinglass, and lampblack, su stantially as described.

3. As anarticle of manufacture a textile fabric treated with a composition of glue, isinglass,- shellac, and lamp-black, substantially as described.

4. A composition for treating textile fab.

rics composed of glue, isinglass, shellac, and

lamp black, substantially as described.

GEORGE W. PRENTICE. Witnesses:

'W. HTHURSTON, J. H. TIIURSTON. 

